Originally published on July 9, 2008.
Love this wine. First tried it at T.B. Ackerson while working there last summer and pretty much drained the distributor of their last several cases.
I put it on my list of “must buys” for when I opened my own shop – and managed to lose that list. But then this summer, while looking for a new Rueda to replace one which had taken a price increase, I stumbled across this old friend. Good thing too – because it’s a great value and a great summer wine.
Casamaro is the name, Rueda is the region (in Spain), and Verdejo is the grape. It’s everything I look for in a summer wines – crisp, lively and refreshing with notes of peaches, citrus, and bright mineralty. (For those who aren’t sure what minerals are doing in their wine, it’s just wine speak for a crisp, almost stone-y note that you don’t so much taste as feel. Gives the wine a certain zip.)
It drinks very well on it’s own, but is a nice match for light summer foods – could even stand up to salads thanks to the racy acidity. And especially important for a summer white – it’s well-priced (under $15), so you can just drink it without getting all serious about it. It’s the bottled equivalent of a summer beach read – it goes down easy, doesn’t require a lot of heavy thinking, and makes you smile. Perfect!